Why we buy

Changing rooms are a vital sales factor, writes Kim Triegaardt.

Unbelievable! After two million years we haven't changed a bit. Men still go out to hunt and women travel in groups gathering up things.

Only now we've swapped caves for malls (see, not that different) and instead of berries, the girls are off looking for this season's hottest fashion item.

These are inherent characteristics that, after all this time, still drive decision-making and are incorporated into our lifestyles in several ways, including the layout of retail stores.

"Men are hunters by nature," says Mark Gascoigne of design company, Gascoigne Associates. "They go out looking for something, find it and bring it back to the cave. So if a man wants a shirt he needs to identify exactly where it is - quickly because they hate shopping. If he picks one up to try on there is a 75 per cent chance he will buy it."

On the other hand, he says women like to browse so clothes can be scattered throughout the shop. Women buy more of a "look" and take longer trying clothes on.

"Even if a woman tries on a piece of clothing the chances of her buying it are much less because even if it fits, it might be not quite right," says Gascoigne.

In today's competitive environment, retailers have to work hard to persuade you to buy their product.

Gascoigne Associates has just won the overall award at the Retail Design Awards for the radical redesign of Glassons Westfield. While the brief was for a look full of "verve and personality", everything was done with a thorough understanding of what drives purchasing decisions, says Gascoigne.

"Retail psychology is where we start. We want to increase the turnover of the shop so looking pretty is really just the byproduct."

First priority is to create a look outside the door and through the doorway that your target market will see and will prompt them to go inside. It's the infamous dwell zone, an area where shoppers are usually panic-stricken about entering the store. Designers have to use that space to influence them to come in further. Research has shown most people veer to the right after they enter a store so desirable items are often placed on that side. More expensive items are placed at the beginning of your visit so the longer you are in the store things will seem cheaper in comparison to what you first encountered.

When it comes to displays, tables allow clothes like trousers and tops to get handled which gives the impression they are popular. Based on the principle that your eye always travels to the middle of a picture, displays are often triangular in shape with the most expensive item front and centre.

But it's the changing rooms where you really make the sale, says Gascoigne. "You want to create a comfortable space, because if you are comfortable, the longer you will spend and the more likely you are to like what you see and want to buy it.

"Good lighting is key because you don't look at the clothes, you look at what you look like in the clothes. If the lighting's too cold you'll be pale and you won't like the outfit."

Equally, you have to feel secure because you're standing there in your underwear and generally feeling self- conscious. "If the door is too short, or the curtains threaten to pull open you get in and out as fast as you can."

You leave promising to "come back" but you never do, says Gascoigne.

He says the new Glassons' changing rooms are like the interesting lining on the inside of a coat. "It's a bit of a novelty because after the plain white of the shop, coming into the change room area is a bit of a surprise."

It's all about designing the ultimate experience that keeps customers shopping in your store.

- © Fairfax NZ News